Philadelphia Union unveil uniform
The Philadelphia Union soccer team will wear a dark blue jersey with gold stripes on the shoulders and a big, vertical gold bar down the chest.
The Philadelphia Union soccer team will wear a dark blue jersey with gold stripes on the shoulders and a big, vertical gold bar down the chest.
The team, which starts play next year, released the first images of its jersey yesterday. The shirt has the team logo in the center of the chest, an American flag on the left sleeve and the Major League Soccer logo on the right.
On the back of the collar is the legend, "JUNGITE aut PERITE," which is Latin for, "Join or die," the phrase on the famous Ben Franklin political cartoon that urged Colonial unity.
"It's awesome," team president Tom Veit said yesterday. "When you see our jersey, when you see the Philadelphia Union on the field, you'll know it's the Philadelphia Union. Our jersey is unique."
The new shirt does not bear the logo of a business sponsor, common to overseas teams and to more and more MLS clubs. Veit said the Union is working out arrangements so that once a sponsor is secured, fans can bring in their "blank" jerseys to have the logo attached.
The Union will play their first game against the Seattle Sounders at Qwest Field on March 25. That game will start the MLS season. Delays in building a new stadium in Chester caused the site of the team's first home game to be moved to Lincoln Financial Field. That game is set for 3 p.m. April 10 against D.C. United.